Blood, Night, Snow

"Skin as white as snow. Lips as red as blood. Hair as black as the night. But what they didn't know was that her skin could not touch sunlight; her lips had swallowed blood; her hair the color of her blackened unbeating heart."

An arrow to the heart. That's what the queen thought the princess deserved.

A slit through the throat. A slash through the chest. A beautiful but bloody princess.

It was disturbing but what could I do? This was my job. And money was more important than the honor of it all. I had a family to feed after all.

She stumbled, gasping and struggling to stand up. I walked towards her slowly, giving her room to breathe, a chance to run.

The queen was so impatient in getting her killed that prolonging it and aggravating her was the only rebellion I could afford for her trying to kill her innocent daughter.

Step-daughter.

Especially with the serial killings going around. She picked a wrong time to be the worst. The queen was very greedy and it gutted me to aim at the princess everybody loved.

She ran again and this time, I aimed at her heel. She fell and I took out my dagger.

The chase was over.

I pinned her down and her hair fanned around in beautiful waves. Hair as black as the night.

Tears filled her eyes as she begged, "please, let me go. Please."

My eyes closed as my resolve faltered. Her hazy brown eyes twinkled with unshed tears  I breathed to solidify myself once more.

I grabbed her shoulders and stabbed right through her chest, making it as fast and as less painful as I could. She stilled, her eyes still wide open.

"I'm sorry, Princess. To survive, you gotta do what you gotta do."

I moved to close her eyes when they suddenly blinked.

I felt my throat constricting and watched in horror as the very hand that was about to shut her eyes were around my neck, squeezing. She stared at me.

"W-what...," I croaked as I looked her eyes.

Red. Bloody freaking red.

She smiled. Lips as red as blood. "Hello, huntsman."

My hand squeezed harder. My vision blurred and I could feel tears welling.

Her voice was chilling, even more so when she slowly held the dagger and pulled it out. I didn't realize that I had sat down beside her.

"A mere blade can't kill me. Never will, in fact. But you, however, are a different matter."

She sat up and kneeled in front of me, her face higher and gently put the dagger on my other hand. The traitorous hand on my neck released me and my lungs burned as I desperately gasped.

Once my vision cleared, I immediately attacked her but I stilled. She smiled brightly at me.

"I'm sorry, little huntsman. After all, to survive, you gotta do what you gotta do."

She wiped the blood that had splattered on her fair face, the contrast of the red making it even fairer. Skin as white as snow.

She licked the blood the dripped down her fingers---my blood. She laughed heartily and it revealed two sharp teeth.

"I heard that you had seven younger brothers just down this mountain?" she said, standing up. I couldn't move nor take my eyes of her. STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY. "Why don't I give them a visit to repay your... hospitality?" She chuckled and walked away, each step echoing through the night.

Each step brought death closer to my brothers. I cried as my vision left me. I prayed as my hearing walked away.

Hair as black as this cold and ruthless night. Lips as red as the blood seeping through my wounded chest. And skin as fair as the snow that slowly trickled down.

So this was why the queen wanted her dead.

Snow White with the red eyes brought death wherever she walked.